This invention relates to mops and relates particularly but not exclusively to synthetic foam head mops.
Hitherto, it has been known to provide mops with synthetic foam heads or similar material heads which can be squeezed. These mops differ from the traditional cotton thread mop. Many mops of this synthetic foam head type have been known in the past and some have incorporated mechanisms to assist squeezing of the mop. In one case, the mop head has a pair of wings which swing about an axis generally centrally of the mop handle in a direction which extends generally in the direction of pushing or pulling of the mop head by the mop handle. Such mop has a slideable collar which is fitted over the mop handle and pushing of the collar towards the mop head causes arm means to operate, to, in turn, swing the wings from an open position where they lie substantially co-plannar to a closed position where they are side-by-side and effect squeezing of the mop material.
Another known type of mop of this type has the mop head with a front portion and a rear portion relative to direction of pushing or pulling of the mop head by the mop handle. In this case, the front portion and rear portion are swingably connected together about an axis which extends transverse to the direction of pushing or pulling of the mop. A crank handle is provided on the mop handle which attaches with arm means to, in turn, cause swinging of the front portion and rear portion from an open co-plannar position to a closed side-by-side position to effect squeezing of the mop material.
In all cases, the mop handle has been either rigidly fixed to the mop head or alternatively there has been a single pivot axis connection between the mop handle and the mop head. Clearly, such mops are unable to allow the mop head to be angularly orientated relative to the handle to fit in awkward positions during mopping owing to either the rigid connection of the handle to the mop head or the single axis swivel connection of the handle to the mop head.
In some mops of the squeezing type, the mop head is made of a synthetics plastics material and has been provided with internal strengthening ribs which run parallel to each other. We have realised that with such mop heads when operated to squeeze the mop material by operation of a crank handle to cause swinging of the mop head from an open coplanar position to a closed position that insufficient torsional rigidity is provided in the mop head itself. This, in turn, means that the mop material is not squeezed adequately as the opposed faces of the mop material are squeezed greater at one side than on the other side.
Further, in the case of a mop where the mop head has a pair of wings which swing about an axis generally centrally of the mop handle in a direction which extends generally in the direction of pushing or pulling of the mop head by the mop handle, when the wings are swung to lie substantially side-by-side to permit squeezing of the mop material, the mop material in the region of swinging of the wings tends to bunch and provide an unnecessary bulk to the squeezing. This, in turn, requires excessive force to be applied to effect the swinging closing movement of the wings.
It is an object of the present invention to attempt to overcome one or more of the aforementioned problems.
Therefore, according to a first broad aspect there may be provided a mop having an elongate handle, a mop head for carrying a squeezable sponge like pad mop material, said mop head being in a least two parts which can swing relative to one another so that in one swung condition the pad will be generally flat and unsqueezed and be useable as a mop, and in another swung condition so the pad will be squeezed,
mop squeeze arm means carried said mop head for causing said two parts to swing together between said one swung condition and said another swung condition,
there being a swivel connector interconnecting said mop head and said handle, said swivel connector having two mutually perpendicular swivel axis to enable said mop head to assume various angular orientations relative to said handle whilst said pad is engaged on a surface to be mopped,
there being stop means for preventing swivel movement of said mop head relative to said handle past a particular orientation when said squeeze arm is operated to squeeze said mop pad thereby permitting pressure to be applied to said mop head by said squeeze arm means to effect swinging of said two parts and squeezing of said pad.
According to a second broad aspect of the present invention there may be provided a mop head having an elongated handle, a mop head carrying a squeezable sponge like mop material, said mop head having two wings supporting said mop material, each of said wings being separated by an intermediate mop head portion, said wings being swingable relative to said intermediate mop head portion about respective axis that extend along respective sides of said intermediate mop head portion, said axis being parallel to one another and extending in a direction of intended pushing or pulling of said mop head by said handle,
the mop head being in a mop, in use, condition when the wings are open and generally co-plannar, and in a mop material squeezing condition when the wings are closed and side-by-side,
spring means urging said wings to said co-plannar, in use, condition,
a swivel connector attached to said intermediate portion and said handle maintaining said mop head connected to said handle, said swivel connector having two mutually perpendicular swivel axis to enable said mop head to assume various angular orientations relative to said handle whilst a mop face of said mop material is fully engaged on a surface to be mopped,
said mop material being squeezable by operation of pushing a first squeeze arm towards said mop head,
said first squeeze arm being retained at one end relative to said handle and being retained at the opposite end to a second squeeze arm,
said second squeeze arm having a right hand arm and a left hand arm which respectively extend on the right hand side of said handle and the left hand side of said handle and pass over and contact tops of the corresponding wings of said mop head, said right hand arm and said left hand arm having respective end portions which are retained to said intermediate portion,
said right hand arm, said left hand arm, and said end portions, acting to provide stops for said wings to maintain said wings in an open co-plannar position against the urging by said spring means, and when said first squeeze arm is pushed towards said mop head to cause pressure to be applied by said right hand arm and said left hand arm to the tops of the respective wings against the urging of the spring means to close said wing means to enable squeezing of said mop material,
said first squeeze arm having a first pivot axis where it is retained to said handle, said second squeeze arm having a second pivot axis where said end portions are retained to said intermediate portion, said first and said second pivot axis being generally parallel to one another,
said first squeeze arm and said second squeeze arm having two mutually perpendicular swivel axis connections where they are retained to each other, one of those axis being generally parallel to said first and said second pivot axis,
the various axis being such that said right hand arm and said left hand arm and said end portions will hold the wings substantially co-plannar regardless of the possible angular orientations assumed by the mop face to said handle.
It is particularly preferred that said end portions of said right hand arm and said left hand arm be retained to said intermediate portion at a position forward of connection of said swivel connector, relative to the direction of pushing of said mop head when the mop head is orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the handle.
It is also particularly preferred that said first squeeze arm be retained to said handle by a collar which is slideably carried on said handle, so that pushing or pulling said collar along said handle towards or away said mop head will cause corresponding pushing or pulling of said first squeeze arm to effect respective closing or opening of said wings.
It is also particularly preferred at least one of said first pivot axis, said second pivot axis, said one of said two axis connections of said first squeeze arm and said second squeeze arm, or the retaining connection where said end portions are retained to said intermediate mop head portion and allow relative rotation of said end portions relative to said intermediate position have a frictional component for swinging which will act against cranking forces tending to lift a front edge or a rear edge of the mop material from a surface which is being mopped as a result of pushing or pulling of the mop head by the mop head handle, thereby attempting to maintain said mop surface substantially wholly in contact with said surface being mopped.
It is particularly preferred that the frictional component be at said one axis of said two axis connections of said first squeeze arm and said second squeeze arm.
It is also particularly preferred that said frictional component be at said one axis of said two axis connections of said first squeeze arm and said second squeeze arm, at said second pivot axis, and where said end portions are retained to said intermediate mop head portion.
According to a third broad aspect there may be provided a swivel connector for interconnecting, a mop head, or like head with a handle, said connector having a body part forming part of a swivel joint for co-operation with a corresponding mating part of that swivel joint.
said body part having a bore at one end which is internally screw threaded to screw threadably receive a screw threaded end of a handle.
said body part having two portions, one portion forming one side half of said bore and the other portion forming the other side half of said bore
said connector having a collar externally fitted over the two portions adjacent the screw thread of said bore to hold said portions together,
the connector being such that when said threaded end of said handle is tightly screw threaded into said bore it will radially outwardly move said portions into engagement with internal surfaces of said collar and assist in holding the handle screw fixed relative to the connector.
According to fourth broad aspect there may be provided a mop head for a foam mop material pad or like mop material pad said mop head having two wings for supporting said pad, each of said wings being generally rectangular in shape and separated by an intermediate mop head portion, said wings being swingable relative to said intermediate mop head portion about respective axis that extend along respective sides of said intermediate mop head portion, said axis being parallel to one another and extending in a direction of intended pushing or pulling of said mop head by said handle,
the mop head being in a mop, in use, condition when the wings are open and generally co-plannar, and in a pad squeezing condition when the wings are closed and side-by-side,
said mop head being of synthetic plastics material, each of said wings having a series of strengthening webs extending on an underside thereof so that the free end faces of said strengthening webs define a surface for engaging with said mop material, said webs being elongate, some extending perpendicular to said axis, some extending transverse to said axis, and some extending diagonally across opposite corners of each of said wings.